Abstract

What a state we are in – feminism is being blamed as the single biggest factor for the lack of social mobility in Britain today. Whilst also being told we have experienced ‘an admirable transformation of opportunities’ we are also being accused of taking the jobs and university places of working-class men, and through ‘assortative mating’ well-educated women only marry well-educated men and through such choices we take away the lower rungs of the stepladder to material succession for young working men. In such high profile public and political, androcentric, heteronormative discourse we see a narrative being laid down that feminism has succeeded and, as we were always warned, it does have dark consequences. In this keynote I wanted to ‘check in’ with how women were really doing, choosing to focus on the three fundamental platforms of power, health and education. The story, contrary the political sheen, is still one of gross inequality. Within this context I wanted to consider the role of POWS and offer some possible responses.